White House Budget Proposes New E-Cigarette User Fee

White House Budget Proposes New E-Cigarette User Fee

Could the e-cigarette industry soon start paying a user fee to the FDA?

Maybe, if lawmakers approve the Trump administration's request. President Donald Trump's 2020 budget plan proposes a new user fee for e-cigarette manufacturers in order to bolster the FDA's efforts to curb teen vaping. The White House says the fee could bring in an additional $100 million in funding per year. Traditional tobacco companies already pay the FDA annual or quarterly fees, which are capped at $712 million.

Adding the vaping industry to the tab would give the agency more funding to address public health issues, including the youth e-cigarette trend. It's a topic outgoing FDA Commissioner Scott Gottlieb has made a priority during his time leading the agency. Under Gottlieb, federal health regulators have been implementing policies to crack down on e-cigarette makers in an effort to curb what the FDA's called "epidemic" teen vaping levels. Some of those initiatives include tightening restrictions on flavored e-cigarette sales , targeting retailers that aren't in compliance and launching national ad campaigns. It's also an issue that has interested Washington in recent months.

And some lawmakers have already voiced their support for the measure, which would still have to be approved by Congress.